Commercial shop vacuums, which are used in many automotive and industrial applications, are heavy duty vacuums that can be used to pick up materials that would not be suitable for ordinary house hold vacuums. For example, these “shop vacs” can pick up liquids, even viscous liquids, which make them particularly suitable for automotive repair and service facilities where oil and other fluids can be spilled on the floor. These shop vacs need to be light weight and easily maneuverable to clean up spills quickly and avoid dangers that can result from open puddles of fluid.
One such shop vac is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,826,799 to Smith, entitled COMPRESSED AIR VACUUM CLEANERS, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Smith teaches a compressed air vacuum that attaches to an air hose and forces air down the handle. The air is then is forced through a venturi nozzle, which causes a negative pressure to occur. It has a baffle deflection piece that stops the liquid and debris from coming up into the venturi nozzle, thus allowing the debris and liquid material to be dropped back into the canister of the vacuum. The handle, venturi nozzle, and baffle are all one piece. The canister with the pick-up tube for sucking is a separate piece and then they snap together. The canister is removable from the handle piece for easy clean up.
While the above-mentioned vacuum is satisfactory for picking up light debris, it has a difficult time picking up larger items and heavier fluids. Thus, an improved compressed gas actuated shop vac is needed for today's modern automotive and industrial applications.